Sizzling Satin

Suddenly the decidedly non shiny pants I currently have on fill me with a strange sense of yearning...

Finger Faces

One of the things I've noticed about Rack Toys is that good concepts don't die. This Finger Faces ad is 40 years old but I can still find them at my local dollar store for exactly the same price.

I can't say that about coffee or Buicks sadly...

Rack Toys: Cheap, Crazed Playthings is a limited edition 144 page book from the creator of Plaid Stallions. Order from us and get three free promotional post cards.

How many sugars Mr Sulu?

From the "I spoke to soon" department. No sooner did I mention no evidence of Star Trek tea sets in the Worcester catalog last Friday when I was quickly corrected. Thanks to my pal Corey, it appears that Worcester did indeed pitch a 23rd century tea set. I can't imagine what they thought to accomplish here but honestly I would have to own one now just to prove the oddest piece of Star Trek merchandise existed (which would likely remove the title from this)

Star Trek Big Wheels

I've been looking for this catalog for ages, in 1978 Worcester toy corporation, mostly known for tea sets offered a series of Star Trek inspired Big Wheels (sadly there appears to be no Star Trek tea set).

While I can find no evidence of the Trek cycle being made, Worcestor did produce them as generic space ships. What might have been....

Last bedroom out of Dodge

I'm not sure I'd sleep well in something that routinely gets robbed.

Poster Art Center

There is no doubt in my mind that I would have spent all of my pocket money on one of these as a kid. It's just what one? I'm not ashamed to admit even Ziggy was a contender for me as a kid.

Esquadron Ultra

This piece may be my favourite bit of Ultra-man merchandise ever, this particular rack toy doesn't come from Japan but Peru, where I guess Ultra Seven got played at one point.

What's amazing about this item is a) I'm not even sure it's licensed, b) I'm surprised something this fragile survived and c) it's so darn wonderful and show accurate.

I keep trying to quit collecting these things but they keep getting prettier.....

Rack Toys: Cheap, Crazed Playthings is a limited edition 144 page book from the creator of Plaid Stallions. Order from us and get three free promotional post cards.

Action Pants!

Is it just me or does this montage extolling the virtues of double knit polyester look like the greatest detective show ever?

The Lost Playground

PS Reader Murilo sent in these pictures from Ana Lidia Park in Brazil, where 70s playgrounds still stand and in great condition. Let's explore:

This is a pretty deluxe rocket set if I do say so myself.

This is Cinderella's pumpkin carriage (Model 155-422) from this catalog.

And this looks like the old Woman's shoe from the same catalog.

This is like walking back in time, if I ever get to Brazil, I'm heading here before the beach. Thanks Murilo!

For more Playgrounds, check out these fabulous links:

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A bedroom far, far away

Just in case you forgot that Star Wars came out in the 1970s, I present the harvest gold bed and curtain sets. May the funk be with you...

Sears Space Command Center and Sound Studio

This oddity from 1979 was a generous gift from my pal John, it's one of those things that Sears stuck in their catalogs to sell along side other licensed toys. This one tries for all the marbles, trying to get some Star Wars heat and the 12" celebrity doll craze. More pics after the jump!:

HULK SAVE!

I'd be tempted to call this late 70s piece by AHI silly but I'm positive that this scene happened at least once on the old Bill Bixby show....

Rack Toys: Cheap, Crazed Playthings is a limited edition 144 page book from the creator of Plaid Stallions. Order from us and get three free promotional post cards.

Sesame Shirts

I would love to send an adult sized Oscar sweater back to myself in college.

The Amazingly Late Spider-Man

My pal Lynch sent me this absolutely awesome press photo which explains that Spidey rolled into this JC Penney 90 minutes late, not even a robot that throws candy could quell their Spider-Mania .


If you're into all things Spider-Man, check out this neat video put together by Lynch. It shows a kid's Spider-Man costume from the 1950s(!).

Send me your mall appearance photos!

Podstallions 18: The Apocalypse

Episode 18 takes us to those days when the future wasn't looking so bright.

If we didn't blow each other up and get eaten by giant cockroaches, the environment would have us eating each other or even worse,  massacred by diapered men on horseback .

The Apocalypse talks about the years of heady, "gloomy doomy" science fiction movies of the early 1970s and then early 1980s, not only with US productions but it's effect on film in Canada, the UK, Japan and our personal favourite, Italy.

So grab a box of Soylent Green and listen to Pod Stallions Episode 18 here, it's Honky paradise!

Download the Show Here

Listen here

Show Links:

• Sean Connery gave up Bond for this.
• The Mego Forbidden Zone Trap play set as discussed on the show.
• The trailer for No Blade of Grass.
• After the Fall of New York is on Youtube, where else can you see a clown robot give a man a hermaphrodite as a prize?
• The Omega Man trailer
• This an essential book for a fan of the Battle of the Planets.

Plenty more content on the PodStallions Facebook page!



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Forbidden Zone

While taping our upcoming Podcast about Apocalypse movies, I couldn't help but bring up one of the weirder but fonder memories of my childhood.

Behold the Forbidden Zone Trap, my favourite Mego play set of all time. I wanted this so bad as a kid it hurt, which is weird because it's basically a city destroyed by a nuclear war AKA the thing that keeps kids up at night.

It also is pretty much anti-human but having worked retail, I totally understand that one.

First Impressions

The Donnelly boys made a severe miscalculation on their first day of middle school, their therapy sessions continue to this day.....

Eats Me Dusts!

I was recently gifted this, the kind person who found it thought i'd dig it. The gesture alone floored me but so did the toy.  Popeye rack toys could fill football fields but the majority of them are nondescript items with little connection to the character, some of them laughable.

Leave it to Fleetwood to go the extra mile, I'm positive I've seen Popeye in a racecar before and I kind of love the little Popeye in the car.

He just puts the whole thing over the top for me.

Rack Toys: Cheap, Crazed Playthings is a limited edition 144 page book from the creator of Plaid Stallions. Order from us and get three free promotional post cards.

Dad Squad 2: The Daddening!

I was disappointed that the day after my son was born that a box containing white shoes and matching belt did not magically appear on my door step.

I do fully expect them the day I retire.

The Action Figure Hall of Fame

I'm honoured to on the staff (you should see the lunch room!) of this fun new project The Action Figure Hall of Fame.

Visitors are encouraged to vote for their personal favourites from a large list and this year's inductees will announced this October.

It's a really fun project and unlike other Hall of Fames, we'll be able to insure that all inductees attend our awards ceremony, in full make up.

Vote Now for the greatest action figure of all time.